ESTER…Its about your wholeness sis!
Ok so Ester…listen sis or bro (bros are absolutely welcome here)…we have to talk about your WHOLENESS honey on this transformation journey. If you are going to save a whole country/nation of people and change the world. I believe God and all of heaven, I too would like to see you get your head and your WHOLENESS together. You are getting too old for these shenanigans all the time. THIS BATTLE OR PURPOSE ON YOUR LIFE WILL NEED YOUR WHOLE SELF AND THE ARMOUR OF GOD.
Ephesians 6:11 (KJV)
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
Alrighty peeps let's go. When you read the Bible in the book of Ephesians 6:10-11 it encourages us to be "finally''. Meaning at the end of the day fam...be strong in the Lord ( I believe that's how the present day bible would be written, I digress). And then it tells us to put on the WHOLE armour of God. But there is a part that I want you to understand, it's the part on "wholeness". Where the Bible says put on the WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD. And as I was reading this scripture there are two things in particular that God showed me that stood out.
1. Whenever you read the Bible I want you to consider not skimming through the Bible. But as Pastor Travis Greene says you have got to "read". The Bible . The Lord or Paul could have used any other way to describe strapping on the armor of God. He could have said put on the "complete" armour of God but He didn't. He said put on the "whole" armour of God. So let's do some basic Bible scholar application here. The word whole in its origin is an old English word. Usually when you do basic google the word means "uninjured" or "health". Then in comparison the word "complete" is of Latin origin which in its original meaning means to fill/ make up. This is very rudimentary stuff not from the theological books or anything.
So why is this comparison important? It's important because God is asking us to put on wholeness when applying the armor of God.
Ephesians 6:13-17 (NLT)
13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm. 14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. 15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.[b] 16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.[c] 17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.
Wholeness as we understand it in the present day is largely rooted and associated with being healed with regards to mental and emotional health more so as it pertains to our inner man. It is said that wholeness comes from achieving a sense of balance in your health that comes from being more aware of self and accepting who you truly are (https://www.mywholemindtherapy.com/). I believe that wholeness comes when God exposes the broken parts of you through connection with His Holy spirit, You become more of who He has made you to be, which is not perfect by any means but God has way of restoring you back to your divine identity and sequentially, the healing, peace, joy results in a divine stability, which we then refer to as wholeness.
This is important for you to know because the bible says after putting on the whole armour stand…how can you stand therefore if you have no balance and stability?
Secondly, wholeness as a spiritual, mental and emotional health principle greatly ties in with the armour of God because;, what I believe the Bible or God is telling us here is that when applying righteousness,peace, salvation, faith, the Word of God. A "wholeness" in the sense of being healed, stable, balanced in all aspects of your life is paramount. Paramount in that these key facets that assemble the effectiveness of armour of God thrive on your being whole (healed, balanced,full,stable, complete in Christ). So get ready, get set and get to wholeness. It's time to kick trauma off your front seat .
Then there is a second facet of wholeness that I desire for us to discuss in this passage and that is doing and applying all the facets of the armour of God with a WHOLE HEART. And therefore wholeness. You notice that when a knight comes in shining armor like that prince charming you are believing in God for. He does not come with half a helmet, half a breastplate, half a shield in the same token child of God you can not be out here half hearted in these things.
The helmet of salvation
Ok so we all know what a helmet is, it is a protective cover that is designed specifically for the head. The main thing to focus on here is that salvation is the helmet. One thing we have to know is that there is no mistake in the bible, no syllable, no word that is not significant and out of context. This comes to tell you that My God or Our God doesn't mince words. It could have been a helmet of truth or a helmet of righteousness but. Salvation is the helmet. Salvation is of Latin origin and its original meaning is to "be made well". Some contexts say it's to be protected or delivered from harm. Salvation in literal terms means to be saved (Paulson 2022;Online Entomology Dictionary). Which when broken down further means to be rescued, protected or preserved (https://earlychristiantexts.com/the-meaning-of-salvation/). When we receive Jesus Christ of Nazareth as our Lord and Personal Saviour. He saves us from eternal death and the consequences of sin. We receive the Holy Spirit and in turn The Word of God or the presence of God acts as a shield for our minds, enabling us to be able to resist/flee from sin. God's presence in our lives through the Holy Spirit, guards our minds, guards what we are exposed to, what our eyes see and what our minds consume. And through that we are guarded and protected from sin such as porn or things that invite lust, anger, greed,envy, gluttony,pride and sloth (laziness). This saves us from hurt, disaster and brokenness and in turn saves many generations in our lives to come.
The breastplate of righteousness
Que in your mind your favourite crime drama show, there is an agent Handsome in his bullet vest chasing down an unsub. He locks in with the unsub face to face, pistol to pistol. He is breathing hard “ok Steadman put the gun down, you can still get out of this if you put the gun down”. “No, you are bluffing, that's what you feds say when you want to trap us”, Steadman replies. Agent handsome is in his FBI bullet vest tucked snuggly around his well carved chest area. And boom shots are fired at his vest. In this my God-given TV show , an agent handsome is saved so He says “Blood of Jesus Christ”. The shot fired through the bullet vest. It caused a minor injury but the bullet did not penetrate through to his heart and so because of that he lives. He says His prayer and praises God. Ok! So the bullet vest would be a modern day breastplate of righteousness.
The breastplate on a knight's uniform traditionally covers the torso and chest area. Firstly the function of the breastplate prevents stabs from the sword of the opponent. Child of God you have to understand that in this walk of faith; we are fighting and warring as we journey with God. Not against flesh and blood but against powers, principalities and the high things.
Ephesian 6:12 (NIV)
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms
What I mean is something is always going to be trying to take a jab at you. Whether it's the enemy using that boy you like that you shouldn't be talking to. Or whether it's the enemy using that yellow shawty with cute height and her waist is just right. THE ENEMY WILL ALWAYS BE TRYING IT, SO WATCH OUT. I have had my fair share of experiences so I am by no means, trust me none at all trying to judge you. I am just telling you what I have been through. As a generation. We are so vulnerable to love issues (spoken as a hopeful romantic). I believe it's because there is a certain level of being held and comforted that we need, transcending from our parents' brokenness and the plight of a fast changing world. We tend to seek to heal our inner babies and wounds through the cuddles and kisses of love. But true love (ask Jesus, demands sacrifice, true love is something WORTH suffering for, it's a cause that's worth the battle scars).
Righteousness I believe is to be in the right standing with God. Righteousness is very deep but certainly righteousness is a thing that stems from the heart. It's for your heart to be right with God and before God and only with God. It's not about always doing right. But when you don't do right, recognizing that you haven't done right. And reconciling your heart back to God. So your heart is right with God. You see why it's important for your heart to be right with God. When your heart is righteous and right before God you are held to a certain level of accountability. And this produces a sense of integrity. You know that you can not do or act anyhow. The breastplate that is righteousness in turn acts as a guard for your heart. In the present day think of a breastplate as those FBI bullet vests. Even if shots are fired you can't die.
I want to continue to endeavor in the entire armour of God but for now I need you to urgently get this...this blog is not just for the sisters it's for the gents too.
You cannot be half hearted in your truth, salvation or righteousness. If you are going to be saved you actually have to go hard. And go all in. I think we really rob ourselves of a full life when we go half into things. And this is not to take a jab at you because maybe the last time you went full into something you got hurt, jabbed or stabbed in the back. But I want to challenge you, life is about going full in. Life is about the WHOLE lock in, especially the lock-in with your divine identity and destiny.I too am struggling with this. Even as you see me or rather as you read this blog. I struggled with writing it in 5 minute intervals because of just a resistance to not be full in.
I want you to consider that a greater part of wholeness is actually surrendering. Surrendering to vulnerability, surrendering to process. And I think when we are walking in brokenness we limit ourselves from the full blessings that God can bring into our lives. As a pathway through surrender. Brokenness makes us want to protect ourselves but wholeness makes us open ourselves to trust in God more, and be exposed to a greater level of protection, faith and righteousness. You get what I mean so I dare you this year to walk in faith. To walk in surrender. To walk into wholeness.
Prayers to Assist you on Your journey to Wholeness
Heavenly Father I am sorry for all the areas where I have given you half a heart, Lord I ask that you show me the areas where you desire me to surrender so that you can create the room for me to bring, serve,love and worship you with my full heart in Jesus Christ Mighty Name. Amen
Heavenly Father in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I am sorry for allowing the circumstances, traumas and brokenness of life rob me from giving, pouring out and worshiping you with my full heart. Lord God Almighty no matter the circumstances and changes in my life help me to always walk with you and call on you will my full heart in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth.Heavenly Father in the Mighty Name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth I have read the blog and honestly there is no heart, nothing in me left. I just bring any piece of me I have Lord. I ask that you work with me and be within me until I am restored Lord to the fullness of Your Heart God in Jesus Christ Mighty Name. Amen
Heavenly Father I realize that sometimes I may approach situations with my heart but sometimes that zeal and heart is not necessarily reflective of Your Heart and Your Will and Purpose God for my life. Lord I pray that may Your Grace exchange the heart and zeal I may have toward the wrong things to Your heart God for the Kingdom of God things. In Jesus Christ Mighty Name.
Heavenly Father, thank you for a handful of blessings from the handfuls of prayers. May I always be careful to give you glory with my entire heart in Jesus Christ Mighty Name. Amen
Journalling Prompt
What is an area in your life in which you struggle to surrender to wholeness?
How can you allow God to help you tap into the whole armour of God as a result of wholeness?
Challenge
I would like you by the Grace and Direction of God to identify one area of your life, an area of your life where you can invite God to work on your wholeness. I will share with you mine in a glimpse. It was to ask God to help me to be able to stop seeing the destiny and life of others instead of seeing and focusing on my own.
I hope that the Lord God Almighty armored you as you checked this post whether you read or skimmed through. Be blessed as you put on WHOLENESS in the armour of God.
